Exxaro Resources: Miner dies in rock fall at Arnot colliery

Companies / 7 July 2014, 08:00am

A miner had been killed on Saturday during a rock fall at the Arnot coal mine of Exxaro Resources in Mpumalanga, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said. “The NUM is deeply saddened that its member was fatally injured at Arnot mine today,” union health and safety secretary Erick Gcilitshana said. The union said it believed all accidents could be prevented. “Fall of rocks has been one of the major killers in the mining industry. We call upon the mining companies to invest more money in protecting the lives of workers [rather] than focusing more on profits,” he said. Gcilitshana called on the Department of Mineral Resources to investigate the incident, saying the union would participate. “It is intolerable that mineworkers are denied their basic human right to work in an environment that guarantees their safety, and that instead they are expected to go to work to die,” he said. The company was not available for comment. – Sapa